RECLAIMER FEAT. HATEBEARS - cEDH - S16E6 - GITROG v NAJEELA v WINOTA v STARSCREAM #MTG GAMEPLAY VOD

Deck Strategies

• 

  Winota, Joiner of Forces

  Winota aims to leverage aggressive combat by bringing in powerful human allies through combat damage triggers, overwhelming opponents quickly with synergistic beatdown and value creatures.

• 

  The Gitrog Monster

  The Gitrog Monster deck focuses on land and graveyard synergies, drawing large amounts of cards while sacrificing lands and other permanents to generate incremental advantage and control the board.

• 

  Najeela, the Blade-Blossom

  Najeela utilizes combat to produce extra combat phases through warrior tribal synergies and token generation, enabling multiple attacks and overwhelming board presence to close out games.

• 

  Starscream, Power Hungry // Starscream, Seeker Leader

  Starscream plays a stax/control role, taxing opponents with hatebears and incremental life loss while accumulating card advantage through Monarch and damage triggers, aiming to lock opponents down and win via attrition.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Maintaining control of the Monarch status was critical for incremental card draw and life manipulation advantage throughout the game.

• 2

  The use of stax elements like Thorn of Amethyst, Tangle Wire, and Winter Orb effectively slowed down more explosive decks, forcing players into a grindy game state.

• 3

  Starscream's ability to generate value through small incremental attacks and life loss created pressure that opponents struggled to overcome.

• 4

  Key tutors such as Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, and Imperial Seal were used strategically to find crucial answers or combo pieces on time.

• 5

  Cyclonic Rift was employed to clear problematic permanents and maintain board control during pivotal turns.

• 6

  The combination of life loss triggers and sacrifice effects enabled a lethal attrition finish despite a locked board state.

• 7

  Players negotiated combat damage carefully, sometimes allowing attacks or blocks to avoid worse outcomes and preserve resources.

• 8

  Flash plays and instant-speed interactions kept opponents guessing and allowed for surprise responses to stax pieces or threats.

Notable Cards

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  Starscream, Power Hungry // Starscream, Seeker Leader

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  Cyclonic Rift

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  Demonic Tutor

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  Imperial Seal

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  Vampiric Tutor

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  Mox Amber

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  Leyline of the Void

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  Dark Deal

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  Tainted Pact

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  Lotus Petal

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  Birds of Paradise

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  Cabal Ritual

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  Walking Ballista

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  Deafening Silence

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  Thorn of Amethyst

Summary

The game featured a high-powered cEDH match with four competitive decks led by Winota, Joiner of Forces, The Gitrog Monster, Najeela, the Blade-Blossom, and Starscream, Power Hungry // Starscream, Seeker Leader. Early turns saw players establishing mana acceleration and board presence through cards like Lotus Petal, Birds of Paradise, and key hatebear creatures. Starscream aggressively asserted monarch control while applying incremental damage and life loss via utility creatures and burn. The Gitrog Monster player leveraged card draw and sacrifice synergies, while Najeela focused on assembling combat triggers and tokens. Throughout the midgame, several board interactions involved strategic attacks, life gain and loss triggers from monarch and hatebear effects, and casting pivotal spells like Cyclonic Rift and Demonic Tutor to gain card advantage or disrupt opponents. The game was defined by heavy stax elements and taxing permanents that limited resources and pressured opponents' plays. Ultimately, the game ended when a player successfully executed a lethal sequence involving card draw and life loss triggers, securing victory through attrition and efficient resource management in a heavily taxed board state.